After many years of speculation and debate, former Rangers owner, Craig Whyte, and founding father of newco Rangers, Charles Green, have been detained by police and are due to appear in court connected to the “alleged fraudulent acquisition” of Rangers assets, which were sold after the club failed to prevent a liquidator being appointed.
Joint administrators for Rangers, Paul Clark and David Whitehouse, then employed by Duff and Phelps, have also been detained in connection with the case.
Let’s get the rules clear from the off:
Anyone charged with a crime is entitled to a fair trial. They should not be subject to public comment which is likely to prejudice their ability to receive a fair trial. Don’t let anything of this nature appear on CQN.
You can discuss the issue, and you can discuss consequences of similar-sounding hypothetical cases, but unless you are cited to as a juror, don’t try to convict anyone.
The events surrounding Rangers liquidation and the subsequent asset purchase took place over three years ago. That this case has now found such momentum suggests the police are following a strong lien of enquiry, and have overcome whatever inertia which can sometimes affect white-collar crime.
We don’t know what is alleged fraudulently took place. The role of the administrators to carry out their duties on behalf of creditors is clearly established. That said, plenty of lateral is afforded to administrators (although increasing payroll by trying to sign Daniel Cousin raised eyebrows).
Exactly how Sevco Scotland Ltd (now The Rangers Football Club Ltd) were able to buy Rangers assets (for £5.5m) when the company who successfully bid for the assets was Sevco 5088 Ltd, has remained an open question since Craig Whyte claimed a controlling interest in Sevco 5088 Ltd.
Whatever the nature of the police charges, there is one overarching fact which Scottish football should be alert to.
Any company, football club or otherwise, which relies on assets that were criminally acquired to go about its business cannot continue to operate with those assets.
In this instance, the stadium, training ground, intellectual property, balls, nets and goalposts were all acquired by the company now known as The Rangers Football Club Ltd.
The consequences of this one are so massive several well-informed people suspected it would never get this far. But the day has come.
Even if all charges are dropped or allegations found to be false, there will still be immediate and real consequences. How would you, for example, go about raising money for a company with this hanging over it? Newco needs money, and they need to convince investors that the club did not start by criminally acquiring its football stadium.
Good luck with that.
I see in some places a fallacy persists that the SFA found Craig Whyte fit and proper to be a director of a football club. They did no such thing. The responsibility for ensuring Whyte’s fitness in 2011 lay with the Rangers board of directors, including Dave King and Paul Murray. The SFA have no powers to intercede or prevent a club from appointing any director it chooses.
Earlier this year Dave King took the unusual step of asking for prior-clearance that his appointment would not be found contrary to SFA rules (presumably due to his criminal convictions), before being appointed a director, but this was at King’s discretion. There is no SFA Fit and Proper test, the SFA do not clear or otherwise sanction any club director prior to appointment, this is the job of the club itself. Dave King, Paul Murray but most of all, Sir David Murray, take a bow.
496 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- »
MadMitch @ 11:35 pm
Sorry not good enough.
Just more happy flappy tripe doffing a cap to our betters.
You seem to be saying what we have is what we need.
Well, I tried the polite approach. Good enough or not, it is what I believe and I put it out there. If I want you to defer, doff caps or kowtow, I will say so and it will not be necessary for you to “seem” it to be so. far from being deferential to PL or DD, I am telling you that they are less important than you think as factors in where we are. Before DD and before PL, there were Celtic teams that struggled and Celtic teams that succeeded. The same is true of their era as CEO and majority shareholder. Keep on wasting energy attributing our ills to personalities but, when they are gone, we will still be living in a post-Bosman, TV money bloated, elite club glass ceiling world.
At what point will you be shouting for change?
At every point and at every time. Change is inevitable and constant. What I am less of a fan of is just sacking somebody and thinking that’s a change made. Failing clubs do that all the time.
Your point that we don’t need to woorry no matter the shambles PL inflicts upon us then everything will be OK because we can just sell our best players — what rubbish that is Maggie’nomics circa 84/85 and we all know how that turned out.
Again, that was your point – not mine. I wish we did not have to sell our players but I am grateful that we do possess players that are sellable- that is better than the alternative of having nobody that is coveted by other clubs. We might be more consistent in personnel but we’d be more rubbish too. The Thatcherite jibe is just name-calling and unworthy of debate. Football is much less important than running a country and football would not be in my top 20 of things that need spending being lavished upon it- either from state funds or sugar daddies. Spending what you earn in football with minimal debt is a good way to run football clubs. But I take a different approach to political spending.
For the record what are your thoughts regarding the future of the club?
I gave them tonight and I have given them often. We are in a slow death race whilst we are restricted to competing in an impoverished (financial and in skills) Scottish sporting context. We, and many other clubs like us across Europe need to access a level commensurate with our size and support base.
If we decline any further we will struggle to get an invite into the Conference North.
I think we would get bigger crowds and at least, an equal level of competition in such a league. I have never agitated just for a move to England, per se. I do not mind what the geographical mix of our league is so long as it contains clubs like ours that will make us raise our standards. Aberdeen and United are not going to recreate their 80s achievements now that Bosman is here and the deid club re-incarnated is not going to supply us with what they once did. We need out
While I am at it it is incredible how many on here would willingly take RM’s shilling and hope for mid table mediocrity rather than build our own destiny using the CL as our stepping stone.
Who is RM? and who are the people that want his 5p?
Good night!
The vitriol towards Feruz makes me uncomfortable.
Celtic helped him because of his football ability. Nothing wrong with that.
The boy is entitled to progess his career without owing Celtic his blood.
just to let you ah ken …..I ,ve hid a braw braw day ….
hoopy days ….
braw
Captain.
Me too.
16 years old when he left Celtic?
Doubt if it was his decision.
the pils are getting to me …forget ma wee song …there are going to be a lot of braw folk on the Liffey next spring …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlBKAJ199sg
braw
NegAnon2 on 2nd September 2015 10:56 pm
Ok SFTB
Pl said originally and was quoted on multiple occasions by Paul67, that every penny made on transfers would be spent on the tam. After aidens transfer Paul went in the huff and after that it because every penny would be invested in the club.
You my friend tried to reinvent all this earlier.
Do you deny it?
I also loved the bit about strengthening after every transfer window. The word try may have been used. But are you really saying that Peter is trying.
I thin you have a credibility gap here
=================
I mentioned yesterday I had wangled a meeting with the Celtic TV Media Manager and the main technician so that if I wrote about Celtic TV it would be on an informed basis.
They were very able and approachable people doing a difficult job.
The major issues they face are not technical, indeed it is interesting how over the years they have had to add support personnel and Help Desk to provide a better service, but my observation is that they might benefit with having some dedicated strategy capacity. That’s not to say strategy ability is beyond them its just that they are working to a very tight cash and natural time budget.
Which brings me to the point in relation to your post.
Completely unsolicited I was told “every penny goes on the park.”
I’ve heard that from other sources too so are those folk in a conspiracy to mislead me or are they not able to do what they would probably love to do because of budget constraints that put the football operations first and is it not important that some money is not channelled to football?
—————
On Celtic TV what I came away with is what I went in with.
Those who can watch games live from overseas (including me) are getting the service far too cheap compared to ST holders.
The obvious answer is to raise prices but with streaming as a no cost alternative that would have a negative impact.
If something is not done to level out price to watch across the support base and supporters do not understand that if you watch for free (but can afford to pay) you are stealing from your fellow supporter not Celtic, then there will be no Celtic TV to watch.
That is my personal assessment not what was said to me, but I have more worries about the effect on Celtic TV of Kodi and an uneven price structure than I had about the millennium proofing I was responsible for delivering to the Government Department I worked for.
A Membership scheme seems to be the answer but its a huge project to get buy in and then develop.
Other things that came out: Although Celtic TV pump out the million of bits that make up the moving pixels that turn into Broonie on your screen that should provide a decent picture on a viewers PC, it is invariably a local issue that create difficulties at the viewers end. (Hence the need for a Help Desk).
Some difficulties are with the PC on the receiving end where it simply might not be able to handle Broonie arriving at a rate of knots at its graphics card decoder. Update the video drivers might help, getting a newer PC will.
This next one though is outside Celtic TV and the end viewers control and its local traffic management by your ISP.
Basically they own/rent only so much fat pipe to send the bits through to all PCS connected to them say normally 10 PCs via 10 channels in the pipe, each channel full to capacity delivering the bits Celtic TV pumped out for a smooth clear picture.
If you are in an area where there are 20 PCs and they are all wanting served at the same time (no one is off somewhere) then to do so the ISP will have to halve the number of bits delivered to each PC because that is all the fat pipe can hold over 20 channels . The channels increase in number but have to shrink in size.
This is where you get buffering and the answer is not to live in a neighbourhood with more than 10 Tims subscribing to Celtic TV if you like to rant at a screen on your own or cut their ISP cable.
Its amazing what you find out when you talk to folk.
Elbhoy
“A simple question for you…
At what point during the last window would it have been acceptable for you to have spent the majority of our transfer budget?”
It is a simple and deceptive question.
The simplest answer I can give that reflects my views is that it would be justifiable in the circumstances of a very good player becoming available who was willing to come to CP at a pay grade that did not distort the squad differentials by too much.
For a £5m or £6m player that would have to be someone young coming from an unfancied league but was someone that our scouts/recruiters really wanted i.e. in their top list of targets.
Unfortunately, that rules out your older player (above 30 for a forward or 35 for a defender) as there is no potential re-sale- anyway they would have been spotted and used to bigger wages so they are a bit of a mythical creature.
I favour squad harmony and continuity but accept that top players will be sought after and will be sold. I don’t believe the plan of a couple of superstars surrounded by modestly paid journeymen and youth is a better team model for development.
If there was a good young Portuguese or Croatian forward who would come for less than 25-30k a week, then the fee would not bother me.
However, I feel the plan will be stuck to and we will get many promising development players and many will still continue to flatter to deceive but that is true of many bigger buys at bigger clubs too.
I just don’t believe anyone has a workable way out of this.
Auldheid yer as bad as BRTH …stealing ma donner …aye wis jist a wa tae tell abidy that very tale …. shaking of heeds …
ma timing belt is obviously needing adjusted …Becks Gold tonight …no bad …here is an awfy braw song …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYWnv02NGSI
braw
Morning Macjay. Aye 16.
Ronny reigns!
Elboy
“To end that thought STFB & the evening – You can try to spin if you wish but there is no getting away from it. The summer window was a failure, we failed markedly to strengthen at key moments & we failed in our ultimate objective which was champions league qualification. ”
I am spinning just as much as you are. In that, we are both giving our views as we see it. I have never claimed that the last few windows were successes so I feel no diminishment of my position when this is pointed out. In fact, I agree with it. where I part company is in believing that anyone else out there knows how to correct it.
I note that both Neg Anon and Mad Mitch believe that they have workable alternative approaches but I continue to believe that their approach has not been proven workable and that, if it was the way forward, a lot of clubs would be utilising that approach and gaining success from it. As PL has shown, this is a market in which good operators can make a fine living. Why are our speculate to accumulate guys not out there speculating to accumulate with clubs in real leagues and real markets? Show me the evidence and I might relent but I am seeing little in the way of convincing example
Good night
Where are those comparator clubs we should model ourselves on?
auch even SFTB is at it noo ….I might never ever think of a braw post agin …hahaha abidy nicking ma intellect and thoughts …fir the folk from the land of the Adler …braw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrjbwAyMYRg
awfy braw
CAPTAIN BEEFHEART on 3RD SEPTEMBER 2015 1:34 AM
Morning Macjay. Aye 16.
Ronny reigns!
=====================
Abdication ya bass.
I really hope I`m wrong about him.
:-)
ah ha el australiusnininio …braw
very wet ah hiv heard?
but when I am drinking I am always thinking …braw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMQTytDMmEo
braw …
fars the man from jist ootside of CCCCarrnnnoooooostie ? mind you I hiv been busy ma self …..
braw
here is an old theme ….https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JAjJB6Tt_M
why does Braw think Migrants sound like Deportees ….
braw
Newtown grand
A song I love.
Specially from wee Luke
Another.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxpnRuLhTuI
Off for a full-on with a banker.
Wish me luck.
who all knew Paddy ? a braw braw lad …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGf4QPwcrbU
come on bhoys and ghirlies ….stop lurking …post a braw song …
bitnaeshoitecfc
hahahaha
braw
Ellboy on 3rd September 2015 12:39 am –
I hope you saw my apology earlier but I’m going to bite here.
To cut down bringing in new guys for this years CL, Armstrong and GMS were bought. The former had a sensational first 30 mins at CP v Malmo but tailed off a bit. Did he not come off and was it an injury hampering him?
We had a strong CL pairing in Denayer and VVD that had it remained might have made all the difference v Malmo. We know Denayer is offski so we get Boyata in a 4 year contract in time to bed in over the earlier rounds. It would in my opinion been wrong to sell and replace VVD at the same time as we brought in Boyata. Two new CBS is what we started with last year so was avoiding that bad planning?
At CP at 3-1 up we lost Lustig to an injury. I don’t recall complaints about the back four that night until afterwards (and what a panning Izzy took and how did we miss him in the 2nd leg)
The point I’m making is the best laid plans etc etc.
My hope is now that we have two new CBs on long term contracts they will provide the rocks on which to build a defence (and that will take more than one match and its a pity its Aberdeen next who might capitalise but is that bad planning?)
I reckon Scots will stay longer than foreign imports of the standard of VVD and whilst some might not be quite of his quality if they can do a job is it not better to have them doing that job for three seasons rather than two?
PL does not recruit in a vacuum. He has scouts and a manager to advise. If RD thinks he has seen enough of Ciftci to address an issue of a lack of a physical presence up front but with some technical ability RD thinks he can develop, is PL to overrule RD?
I’m sure RD would love the finished article up front but he came into the job eyes wide open on the basis he could make players better so now its being put to the test.
Lets enjoy.
MACJAY1 FOR NEIL LENNON on 3RD SEPTEMBER 2015 1:58 AM
Newtown grand
A song I love.
Specially from wee Luke
Another.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxpnRuLhTuI
Off for a full-on with a banker.
Wish me luck.
aye wish ye all the luck that buzzing aboot lad …wit ever ye dae …give it socks and hats …and mak folk laugh …
a braw song …thank you .
braw
EKBhoy on 2nd September 2015 11:47 pm
rule 1 someone else’s job is always easier looking from a distance
Rule 2 never buy a company with its own money
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~++~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Glazers have done well defeating Rule 2 down in Manchester.
I,m very phonetic orientated this morning ….but hoopy …you,d be pushed to find a bhoy thats as hoopy as my goodself this evening ….a wish all oot there a braw day …and never forget …hahahahaha etc etc etc …
braw
hahahaha here is wan that will be a hit with the Hun ,,,,braw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-65sP7DKHo
trust a Murray …oor much riding fer ma geshmack ! hahahaha
West End of East End on 2nd September 2015 10:30 pm Auldheid & BRTH – Been busy all day and have only started on the 2nd article, but can I ask you a question RE Res 12 ? I’m sure you have said previously that the information you have was shared with senior sports journalists but until now was ignored, do you believe that KJ’s comment on twitter the other night about nuclear, mushroom clouds etc are the dots now being joined and an about turn in the SMSM is about to happen –
In a word Yes in fact tonight one journo said that whilst the LNS Blogs on TSFM were old stuff recent events might make them more topical if unreportable (It was the two Duff and Phelps guys the SPL lawyers asked for ebt documentation and a key batch was missed).
Its all grist to the same mill of SFA incompetence and as that has not changed the mil will keep on grinding.
NegAnon2 on 2nd September 2015 10:52 pm
No BCW my spellchecker needs a break. If I am really annoyed at the lies that sftb and Auldheid are now posting what it tells me is that Celtics propaganda Machine via cqn is in panic mode.
It’s now making up stories and reinventing history.
But somehow it’s me that’s now mentally ill for feeling unhappy (courtesy of Auldheid).
================================
I posted last that when someone disbelieves what I believe to be true and post in that spirit but they call me a liar then that entitles me to call them a dick.
So you are Dick.
I don’t think you are liar I think you honestly believe what you post but in not offering me the same courtesy you really are a dick.
I never mentioned mental illness you did.
I explained how I deal with things I have no power to change. Its called wisdom.
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.
Amen.
to any oot on the big blue…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sPi51PdvcM
love this ….you widnae beleive how many times I have sung this to Cabby drivers …they seem to love it ….the further sooth ye get the brawer it gets …hahahahaha
braw
Auldheid your lovely hair
Has more glamour I declare
Than all the tresses rare
‘tween Killin and Aberfeldy.
Be they lint white, brown or gold,
Be they blacker than the sloe,
They are worth no more to me
Than the melting flake of snow.
no snowflakes were melted in the production of this post
braw
Feruz owed Celtic big time. He was led astray by some idiots who thought he was better then he was. Judging by his comments in the media, he has not grown as a person in the time he has been away. I would love to see him warm The Rangers bench. What a great match that would be.
I miss reading https://rangerstaxcase.wordpress.com/
Neustadt
Dramatically different rendition from the ones we usually hear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or50fEiwI0w
My 22 y.o. Aussie lad loves the Corries.
And Celtic.
Neustadt-Braw on 3rd September 2015 2:49 am
That`s Rascar`s party piece.
MACJAY1 FOR NEIL LENNON on 3RD SEPTEMBER 2015 3:30 AM
Neustadt-Braw on 3rd September 2015 2:49 am
That`s Rascar`s party piece.
-braw …am a wee bit tipsy noo ..better go before I start havering aboot stuff thats already been more or less plagiarised fae things af uttered afore …
its Hard being Braw …
hahahahahaha
braw
PL supporters denying the obvious after a bit of pruning
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zKhEw7nD9C4
Good morning CQN
Not been on the site much as the wife is back in hospital
Up early trying to catch up with things and get some of the housework done
Before she gets out hopefully on Friday
Can’t wait for our next game hate these international breaks
Just love to watch the Celtic
Looking forward to seeing our new recruits playing
Keep the Faith
Hail Hail
MOUNTBLOWTIM
I hope your wife gives you a proper doing on Friday for leaving the place in a mess.
That way you’ll know everything’s just fine with her,and I hope it is!
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 3RD SEPTEMBER 2015 5:06 AM
PL supporters denying the obvious after a bit of pruning
=====================================================
Celtic supporters are P.L. supporters.
By and large.
With a few egregious exceptions.
:-)
Not Thatcher………the British govt.
Not P.L ………………..the Celtic Board.
Here endeth the lesson.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
She will just be glad to be home I hope and not notice to much
But if things are not quite right
I will just nod my head and yes dear no dear
Your right dear
Works all the time so far
HH
MT
MOUNTBLOWTIM
As you say,the important thing is for her to be home. I hope all goes well for you both.
HH
MACJAY
?
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
Thanks
God bless
HH
Mt
Macjay
Believe it or not I pretty much do all I can to avoid arguments with other posters these days and I did guess that you were being facetious. However, I felt that the use of the word ‘repatriation’ to describe the starving Irish who fled to Britain in the hope of refuge was extremely poor (and I’m trying to be very, very polite!)
Anyway when is it your own repatriation takes place :-)